How a childhood SkyTrain ride inspired a lifelong tune
How a childhood SkyTrain ride inspired a lifelong tune
For most kids, a trip to Science World is the highlight of the day. But for Maya Eliza, it was the SkyTrain ride to get there that really stuck.
She was just three years old, visiting from the Sunshine Coast. It was a big day in the city. A ferry ride, Science World, and a ride on the SkyTrain. And while the exhibits were fun, it was the train that sparked something magical. So magical, in fact, that she went home and wrote a song about it.
“I had just gotten a violin, so I went home and played ‘the SkyTrain song’ on my violin,” says Maya, in an interview over direct message on Instagram.
Yes — a SkyTrain song, written by a toddler, on a violin. It mimics the sounds of the SkyTrain on the violin. The chimes, voice announcements, and the Mark I train accelerating and decelerating.
Fast forward to today
Now a grown-up and active in Vancouver’s music scene, Maya still performs that same tune, and people love it. She recently played with a local band called Ask The Wind, where she’d introduce “the SkyTrain Song” during live shows. It’s become a crowd favourite.
“I’ve been doing this bit on stage where I talk about how my bandmates have inspired me to think more about songwriting,” explains Maya. “Then, I announce that I’ll play one of the first songs I ever wrote — and it’s ‘the SkyTrain Song.’ It always gets a big laugh.”
But the sentiment is genuine. The memory of that first ride has stayed with her and so has her love for transit.
“I still really love the SkyTrain, tbh,” writes Maya, “I love the old trains with the little compartment at the very front with the flip-down seat where you can pretend to drive the train lol.”
Whether it’s a first ride, a morning commute, or a chance to “drive” from the front row, SkyTrain moments have a way of sticking with us and for Maya, it became a song that’s lasted a lifetime.
